One of the newest and most intriguing areas of nutrition investigation involves food components called phytochemicals. Phytochemicals, such as isoflavones and their derivatives, are found only in plants, and although they are not classified as nutrients, they profoundly affect our health. See, for example, “Phytochemicals, A new paradigm” edited by W. R. Bidlack et al., published by Technomic publishing Co., Inc, 1998.
The discovery of phytochemicals has caused the dawning of a new era in nutrition. The phytochemicals found in beans, such as soybeans, are of particular interest. Beans and the products made from them, e.g., soybeans and soybean products, offer a unique approach to lowering the incidence of many chronic diseases such as cancer. See, for example, Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, 42, 1666 (1994); i.d., 43, 1184 (1995). Recently, research shows that consuming just one serving of soy foods a day may be enough to obtain the benefits of these phytochemicals. (See “The simple soybean and your health” by M. Messina et al., published by Avery publishing Group, Garden City Park, N.Y., 1994).
Many people, however, do not like to eat soy foods because of their smell, taste, and texture. One way to obviate the dislike of soy foods would be to take soybean isoflavones as dietary supplements. Unfortunately, soybean isoflavones and their derivatives have not been utilized as dietary supplements because of their low solubility in water. See “Genistein” by R. Elkins, published by Woodland Publishing, Pleasant Grove, Utah 1998.